First team in the way: the Portland Pirates. Portland and Syracuse open a best-of-5 Eastern Conference quarterfinal series with Games 1 and 2 Saturday and Sunday in the War Memorial.

Several of the Syracuse players who won the AHL title with Norfolk last season will be key parts of the Crunch's drive to earn one of its own.

"Those are the guys who are the most excited,'' Zettler said. "They want that feeling back again.''

The series will likely turn on the most glaring statistical mismatch between the teams: the Crunch's powerful and replenished offense against Portland's generous defense.

Syracuse was the AHL's highest-scoring team, at 3.25 goals per game. Portland allowed the fourth-most, at 3.07.

The Crunch's plus-46 goal differential wass the second-best in the AHL. Portland is the only team in the Eastern Conference playoffs with a negative goal differential (minus-3).

"I certainly don't expect that to be the case, especially come playoff time,'' Zettler said of Portland's defensive issues. "They've been watching a lot of tape too, to figure out how to defend us. I'm not expecting a shootout at the O.K. Corral. I expect both teams to play tight.''

Syracuse defenseman Matt Taormina said the variable of playoff intensity overshadows the significance of regular season stats.

"Things can change. The intensity changes. You can't really look at the regular season as anything that will (happen) in the first game,'' he said. "Those numbers are gone now.''

Perhaps, but the Pirates remain impressed by the video recorded by Syracuse's scorers.

"I think their whole team is dangerous. They are just consistent from top to bottom,'' said Pirates goalie Chad Johnson.

"Offensively, they are as potent a group, when you watch them on film, as we've seen all year,'' said Pirates coach Ray Edwards. "You know you have to play the right way, or you're going to be in trouble.

"We have had spurts where we've been really good defensively, and we've had spurts where we haven't. It's a learning process with a young team.''

- Crunch forward Philip-Michael Devos turned 23 on Friday, which meant it was time for teammate Eric Neilson to serve up the birthday cake.

Or something like that.

Neilson is proud of his batting average of smothering every teammate with a shaving cream towel on or near their birthday.

"I'm not going to brag, but I'm getting pretty good at it,'' Neilson said.

Devos, of course, knew that, and he was on the lookout. His downfall came after practice, when he accidentally hit teammate Ondrej Palat in the leg with a shot.

Devos was distracted for a few seconds and went over to check on Palat, and that was the only opening Neilson needed. He crammed a loaded towel up and under Devos' shield.

"I thought about that (Palat) for about 10 seconds, and that's when he got me,'' Devos said. "He knew that I knew. That's why he waited so long.''

Syracuse forwards Dan Sexton and J.F. Jacques should be next on the lookout as both have birthdays Monday. Sexton will turn 26 while Jacques will be 28.